Childhood functional abdominal pain: mechanisms and management

Functional abdominal pain is a common problem in childhood worldwideCurrently, children with functional abdominal pain are diagnosed with one of the abdominal-pain-related functional gastrointestinal disorders (AP-FGIDs) defined by the Rome III criteriaThe Rome criteria have encouraged health-care workers to make a positive diagnosis and have advanced empirical research in childhood AP-FGIDsIncreased knowledge of the pathophysiology of AP-FGIDs has led to a biopsychosocial model in which genetic, physiological and psychological factors interplayTo date, high-quality efficacy studies on treatment in paediatric AP-FGIDs are scarceAvailable evidence indicates beneficial effects of hypnotherapy and cognitive behaviour family therapy; evidence for a low FODMAP diet, probiotics, peppermint oil, cyproheptadine or famotidine is promising